Clinton Fitch just got his hands on an O2 Zinc, and he has the unboxing photos posted for your enjoyment.

He says, “When I receive the FedEx package I immediately opened it to find the fantastic packaging that O2 does on their devices.  If there is one that you have to give O2 credit for, their marketing department knows how to make a great presentation!  The top of the box is the white-silver color of Zinc with the Periodic table symbol for Zinc, Zn, imprinted on the top.  Nice attention to detail I must say!”

Have you not heard about the Zinc yet? Well take a look at its specifications…

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“Dear Frustrated Windows User,

Want to make my blood boil? Just tell me that someday, in the not-too-distant future, my refrigerator will include a computer that alerts me when I’m low on milk. Just tell me that someday my microwave oven will feature a computer that “senses” what’s inside and cooks it accordingly. Just tell me that someday my car will include a computer that lets it repair itself by “downloading” some kind of software off the Internet.

The crazy thing is that there are scientists and engineers actually working on these kinds of pie-in-the-sky ideas. Don’t these eggheads know that our regular computers are still too hard to use and are still too unreliable? Why can’t they work on fixing that?

So want to make my heart sing? Just tell me that someday, in the not-too-distant future, Microsoft will release a version of Windows that’s truly simple to use; a version of Windows that doesn’t make everyday tasks as easy as herding cats; a version of Windows that doesn’t crash if you happen to breathe out through both nostrils at once; a version of Windows that, in other words, doesn’t make otherwise-smart people[md]people who know how much milk they have in the fridge�feel like complete idiots.

Until that day comes, we have to content ourselves with trying to live with the Windows we have. And that’s why I wrote The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Windows Vista. My aim is to show you that although Windows Vista can be downright ornery at times, anyone with the regular complement of gray matter can soothe the savage Windows beast. No, you’re no idiot. In fact, you’re smart enough to know that there must be an easier way to get things done. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Windows Vista will show you how.

Happy computing!”

So reads the inside cover of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Microsoft Windows Vista by� Paul McFedries, and what follows is a user’s manual of sorts for those that are truly left befuddled at the thought of attempting to learn the ins and outs of the newest Windows operating system.

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I am not using Windows Vista yet, but today I learned that Microsoft did include some pretty neato enhancements to the operation system. One of those enhancements is called “ReadyBoost”. What is that you say? Well, it is the easy and low cost way to upgrade your computer operating RAM without opening your computer up and messing with memory boards (the more RAM you have, the faster Windows will run, as Windows wont have to swap to the hard drive as much). “Impossible!” and “No way!” you say? It is… all you need is a USB flash drive or reader with a SD card plugged into it and of course a USB port.

Right-clicking on the USB flash drive icon and choosing properties from the menu will open a window with several tabs… one of those is ReadyBoost and clicking on that tab will give a view similar to the one in the below pic.

photo courtesy of Microsoft

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I had an IM from Vincent Nguyen this morning, letting me know that his coverage of CeBIT on SlashGear was winding down, and that he would be leaving soon. He went to Hanover Germany all by himself to cover this major show, and although he seemed exhausted, he also sounded like he was having a great time.

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In my day job as a computer technician… one of the things I work with is computer data, moving files from one place to another. Depending on the situation, there is more than one way to move said data.� It could involve using, USB flash drives, making DVD-R’s, USB external hard drives, taking apart the computer and removing the hard drive to connect to another computer as a secondary hard drive. All these methods vary in length of time needed to complete the transfer. And as always, a direct A to B is the quickest way to get it done. This where Data Drive Thru’s�Tornado File Transfer Tool comes to the rescue. It is a file transfer tool that plugs into the USB ports of two computers and bridges a direct connection, so that one can copy files from one computer to another.

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[Ed. note: If you haven't already, then take a look at the first part of this review, Unboxing the i-mate JAQ3, in which Judie opens the JAQ3's box and takes a quick look at this PDA phone and its other box contents.]

For this jointly written and jointly posted (on each of our sites) review, Judie’s comments will be in black, and Clinton’s comments will be in blue and italicized.

One afternoon about a month ago, I received an email from an i-mate executive assistant saying “Jim Morrison wants to send you an i-mate JAQ3 Windows Mobile phone, can you please send me your detailed shipping address and contact telephone numbers?” Jim Morrison is of course, the CEO of this Dubai based company. It’s not every day that I get offered a free PDA to try, so I quickly sent in my information, and it wasn’t long before I received the JAQ3.  I was equally surprised when I received one of these units! The good thing I have discovered though about i-mate is they are responsive despite, literally, being on the other side of the planet. I heard and read a lot of horror stories about their responsiveness but I have found them to be great. Yeah, but I am still waiting on a reply about whether they can help me get my hands on an i-mate Ultimate 7150. Oh the glory that is the Ultimate 7150!

Perhaps the most intriguing thing concerning the JAQ3 which I knew coming into this review, was that even though it had a similar style to the Samsung BlackJack WM5 Smartphone, the JAQ3 utilizes the full WM5 Pocket PC operating system. This in itself brings the JAQ3 into the attractive realm occupied by another QWERTY WM5 PPC Phone Edition device which I adore, the Palm Treo 700wx. Absolutely it does! This, in my view, is one of the stronger arguments for the JAQ3 over the BlackJack. Both are similar in size but with the extensive amount of Pocket PC… erm, Windows Mobile Professional software out there to do just about anything, it pushes this device ahead.

From left to right: the Treo 700wx and the JAQ3

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